BPAP renews MOU with India’s NASSCOM

New Delhi, India, December 21, 2012) — The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and NASSCOM signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that reaffirms both organization’s commitment to work together on common concerns in the IT-BPO industry. NASSCOM’s Ameet Nivsarkar and BPAP’s Jose Mari Mercado signed the MOU in the presence of Vice President Jejomar Binay at The Oberoi, Zakir Hussain Marg in New Delhi, India.

The MOU further strengthens ties between BPAP, the enabling association for the IT-BPO and GIC (global in-house center) industry in the Philippines, and NASSCOM, the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of India’s software and BPO services industry.

NASSCOM and BPAP first signed an MOU in Mumbai, India, and Makati City, Philippines, by Telepresence, in August 2009 to render mutual assistance and promote development and growth of the global IT-BPO industry.

The new MOU extends the coverage of the original MOU by creating a joint NASSCOM-BPAP IT-BPO apex council. The council will be composed of four members each from the two associations.

The joint apex council will deliberate and facilitate actions to address common challenges, including outsourcing on a global level, sharing best practices, and representing each country’s interest in bilateral engagements between India and the Philippines; work for the development and sharing of world-class management practices, a code of conduct, and quality standards to ensure growth and global competitiveness of their respective members; and create a “Joint Positive Impact Campaign” to highlight BPO as an aspirational career, among others.

Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Amit Dasgupta and NASSCOM president Som Mittal welcomed the Philippine delegation represented by Binay, Philippine Ambassador to India Benito Valeriano, BPAP executive director for External Affairs Genny Marcial, BPAP marketing and research associate Indu Badlani, and Edgardo Lacson, Jesus Varela, Tess Lazaro, Angela Ponce, and Robert Ferrer. Delegates from India included key players in the Indian IT-BPO industry, namely, KS Viswanathan of NASSCOM, Vipul Khanna of Cognizant Technology Solutions, Vikram Talwar of exl Service.com, Sanjeev Bhatia of Wipro BPO, Mohit Thukral of Genpact, Swaminathan of Infosys BPO, Keshav Murugesh of WNS, WK Raman of TCS, and Neeraj Tandon of HCL Technologies.

According to Mittal, the Indian IT-BPO industry operates in 70 countries, with 60 percent of its business from the United States while 20 percent from Europe. “Our key aim is to deliver specialized work. We would like to tap and reach out to other markets,” Mittal said.

Key issues during the meeting were talent development, assistance on middle management training, the Philippines’ strong currency, strengthening work permits for Indian companies, focus on the Next Wave Cities™, the potential of the healthcare outsourcing sector, and lack of direct flights from India to the Philippines and vice versa. The Indian delegation also lauded BPAP’s work on “Work Abroad. Live Here,” a portal that provides information about global career opportunities in the Philippine IT-BPO industry.

“Although India is our closest competitor in the IT-BPO industry, we acknowledge that we have a lot to learn from their experience. India is a strategic partner in ensuring that best practices in outsourcing are implemented in both countries,” said Marcial. “BPAP is also grateful for the support of the office of the Vice President and the Board of Investments.”

“We would like to thank BPAP and the Philippine government for their continuous support for this industry,” said Mittal. “Competitive collaboration is key to enhancing growth.”

Delegates acknowledged that demand for outsourcing services is present in both domestic and international markets. “We need to create a joint working group between governments and companies. Let’s look at the Philippines not as a competitor but as a development platform for this industry,” said Ambassador Dasgupta.

STRATEGIC PARTNERS. NASSCOM’s Ameet Nivsarkar and BPAP’s Jose Mari Mercado signed an extension of the NASSCOM-BPAP Memorandum of Understanding. Vice President Jejomar Binay (center) witnessed the MOU signing in New Delhi, India.

About the Business Processing Association of the Philippines
The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) is the enabling association for the IT-BPO and GIC (global in-house center) industry in the Philippines. BPAP serves as the one-stop information and advocacy gateway for the industry. With approximately 300 industry and support-industry members, including five associations—the Animation Council of the Philippines, Contact Center Association of the Philippines, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines, and Philippine Software Industry Association—BPAP plays a pivotal role in sustaining rapid growth of the IT-BPO and GIC industry by working to ensure an enduring supply of high quality labor, supporting service innovation, and providing country visibility.

BPAP assists investors in setting up operations easily and quickly in the Philippines. Relevant research, introductions to key government and industry officials, and a series of briefings at each step of the investment process ensure a seamless development process. On-going support is provided through a wide variety of initiatives, including programs for HR development, business development, and on-going knowledge sharing and networking opportunities.